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Heading to Hinkle - Utah vs. Butler 2017

Our beloved Utes have their first true road test of the year as they head to storied Hinkle Field House to take on the Butler Bulldogs.

The Dawgs are 6-2 (4-0 at home) with wins over Princeton, Ohio St., and St. Louis most notably, and losses to Texas and Maryland.

The Utes come into the game 6-1 with our only loss being a "neutral" site loss to UNLV.

Butler has two guys that are currently averaging double figures (Kelan Martin, Kamar Balwdin) and three others that are close around 9 points per game.

They've got two bigs to throw at us (Brunk and Fowler), so if Collette can stay out of foul trouble, he could be a key to victory for us.

As usual, if we can avoid falling in love with missing a bunch of three's we might have a chance to get the road victory, though Butler is favored by 7.5. Should be interesting.

“It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”

Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

The only player over 6'8" getting minutes is Nate Fowler, getting 18 minutes per game. There are no shot blockers. You'd think this bodes well for Collette, but I remember thinking that last year as well. Sean McDermott (out with sprained ankle?) is the best shooter. Jorgenson shoots 36% outside. Their scoring is balanced like ours.

The only player over 6'8" getting minutes is Nate Fowler, getting 18 minutes per game. There are no shot blockers. You'd think this bodes well for Collette, but I remember thinking that last year as well. Sean McDermott (out with sprained ankle?) is the best shooter. Jorgenson shoots 36% outside. Their scoring is balanced like ours.

this seems like a good barometer for the season. A win or a close loss and my interest will rise. A double digit loss and it will wane.

"Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

"And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

Somebody needs to step up and provide playable depth in the backcourt. We also need Chris Seeley for those times when foul trouble comes into play.

I really like Tillman. If he can develop his ability to pass and continue his ability to shoot from the outside, I think he is our next early entry NBA draft pick.

Same here. We go through one of these cold stretches just about every game it seems. Butler had the talent to keep us at arms length once we shot ourselves out of it. I hope Larry works with Jayce and Dave on making baskets 2 feet from the hoop.

“It only ends once. Anything that happens before that is just progress.”

Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

I'm already fascinated to see how Utah's backcourt plays out next year. The frontcourt has some intrigue too, but we know that Tillman will be the headliner there and will command all the minutes he can handle (whether it be at the three or four). Jayce Johnson will also be prominently involved either as the starting center or a backup who plays significant minutes. Battin is almost certain to have a prominent role and Seeley will hopefully be in the rotation. Utah still needs a true center as well as one more versatile forward, in my opinion.

The backcourt though....that could get wild. It's very early still, but none of the guards who are scheduled to return next year are doing much of anything to establish their position in the lineup in the future.

Barefield is very up and down, but mostly down. His ceiling may be that of a heat check guy off the bench on a good team.

Van Dyke simply hasn't done anything to make a difference.

Caldwell has already fallen out of the rotation, even against subpar opponents like Eastern Washington and Hawaii. Popoola has never been able to get into the rotation.

With Doutrive (has anyone heard how he is looking in practice?), Jones, Gaskin and Allen (will probably also play some on the wing) coming in next year, nothing is guaranteed for any of these returners if they don't perform. It wouldn't shock me to see someone transfer out of this group due to the numbers and if any of them want their spot next year they better start showing up. I think Jones is almost certain to be a starter from day one, if Doutrive is showing well in practice he could very well be the other starting guard, leaving Barefield and the rest to compete for the 1 or 2 backup spots in the rotation.

I'm already fascinated to see how Utah's backcourt plays out next year. The frontcourt has some intrigue too, but we know that Tillman will be the headliner there and will command all the minutes he can handle (whether it be at the three or four). Jayce Johnson will also be prominently involved either as the starting center or a backup who plays significant minutes. Battin is almost certain to have a prominent role and Seeley will hopefully be in the rotation. Utah still needs a true center as well as one more versatile forward, in my opinion.

The backcourt though....that could get wild. It's very early still, but none of the guards who are scheduled to return next year are doing much of anything to establish their position in the lineup in the future.

Barefield is very up and down, but mostly down. His ceiling may be that of a heat check guy off the bench on a good team.

Van Dyke simply hasn't done anything to make a difference.

Caldwell has already fallen out of the rotation, even against subpar opponents like Eastern Washington and Hawaii. Popoola has never been able to get into the rotation.

With Doutrive (has anyone heard how he is looking in practice?), Jones, Gaskin and Allen (will probably also play some on the wing) coming in next year, nothing is guaranteed for any of these returners if they don't perform. It wouldn't shock me to see someone transfer out of this group due to the numbers and if any of them want their spot next year they better start showing up. I think Jones is almost certain to be a starter from day one, if Doutrive is showing well in practice he could very well be the other starting guard, leaving Barefield and the rest to compete for the 1 or 2 backup spots in the rotation.

There are two guys out there who have committable offers for 2018 and they are both long, athletic, rim protecting centers. The first is Bryan Penn-Johnson from Wasatch Academy (longshot, IMO) and the second is Lahat Thioune from Florida Prep Academy (who knows where he stands). Im pleased that the staff is working to address this shortcoming.

Your point about the backcourt is spot on. Its been very frustrating. Wouldn't surprise me at all to see transfers out after this year. Guys who want minutes, to quote Herb Brooks in "Miracle" are going to have to start playing at a level that will force (Larry) to keep (them) here!